Richard L. Pifer

Richard L. Pifer is the author of The Great War Comes to Wisconsin: Sacrifice, Patriotism, and Free Speech in a Time of Crisis. He retired in 2015 from his position as director of reference and public services for the Library-Archives Division of the Wisconsin Historical Society. He received a PhD in American history from the University of Wisconsin-Madison. His historical research has focused on the history of the home front in Wisconsin during the First and Second World Wars. Dr. Pifer is also the author of City at War: Milwaukee Labor During World War II.

Articles by Richard L. Pifer

Series: The Flu And Wisconsin's Public Health

Series: Wisconsin Historical Society Press Excerpts

When The 1918 Influenza Pandemic Struck Wisconsin

Richard L. Pifer

Marjorie Hannon Pifer

Wednesday, February 21, 2018 - 9:00am

In 1918, the Spanish flu attacked young, otherwise healthy adults, killed quickly and often, and leapt from Europe to Wisconsin with unimaginable speed. Its cause was unknown; its mode of transmission was unknown; how to stop it was unknown.